Cohasset to increase tobacco checks

The FDA inspects tobacco product retailers in order to ensure the stores are complying with federal laws and regulations. In Cohasset, tobacco purchasers must be at least 18 years old, although several other Mass. communities have upped the age to 21.

Cohasset is cracking down on underage tobacco purchasing after two local establishments – Tedeschi’s and A Taste for Wine and Spirits – failed tobacco compliance checks conducted by the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this past March.

The FDA inspects tobacco product retailers in order to ensure the stores are complying with federal laws and regulations. In Cohasset, tobacco purchasers must be at least 18 years old, although several other Mass. communities have upped the age to 21.

In June, the Cohasset Board of Health discussed the merits of increasing the legal purchasing age, but ultimately decided to keep it at 18.

Now, the health board plans to increase the frequency of its own tobacco checks, said Board of Health Agent Felix Zemel, although both stores previously passed checks the board of health conducted.

Zemel said that despite the stores failing the FDA checks, underage purchasing “hasn’t been a huge problem” in Cohasset.

Still, the health agent said that he plans to conduct more frequent checks “as the budget permits.” Zemel explained that the new compliance checks will “follow the lead of other communities in terms of being more realistic.”

This means that those who attempt to make a tobacco purchase during the checks will be dressed “the way kids normally dress, to make it as realistic as possible,” said Zemel.

The health agent further explained that more training is necessary to ensure that minors are not able to make illegal purchases.

“Both establishments have put in place strict new policies and procedures to avoid that from happening any more,” said Zemel.

Both Tedeschi’s and A Taste of Wine and Spirits have joined the “under 27” campaign, meaning they must ask everyone who looks under the age of 27 to present I.D.

In other news, the health agent said that he is working on documentation to meet state requirements for the new food variance code, which the board voted to implement in June. Cohasset became among the first towns in the state to adapt the 2013 regulations, an upgrade from the 1999 code the town has been following.

At the next board of health meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, August 5 at 7 p.m., the board will discuss the possibility of hiring a social worker for the town.